A “consumable” refers to an article of consumer goods comprising a product which is inherently designed to get used up as part of its normal, intended use, whether through being depleted or being transformed to a non-usable state (not necessarily precluding the possibility of recycling). Typically the product is a substance of which the consumable comprises a finite supply, such as a gas, aerosol, liquid, solution, foam, powder, collection of solid elements, or a dissolvable, digestible or combustible solid, etc., which is used up as an inherent part of the products' normal, intended use. The consumable may also comprise packaging, often being pre-packaged by the manufacturer or supplier. The packaging is opened by the user to access the product, and may itself be either disposable (used up) or re-usable.
Some examples of consumables include: sanitary or ablutionary products, food, stationary, and computer consumables such as printer ink. A further example is skin products, such as moisturizing creams, where the absorption of skin products has been shown to increase with warmer temperatures. The realm of consumables includes Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) which are defined according to the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) (currently Revision 3).
Consumables may be contrasted for example against durable goods such as computers, phones, TVs or other user terminals; white goods or other household appliances such as cookers, toasters, washing machines, and dishwashers; furniture; and vehicles. Although these will inevitably wear out eventually, durable goods are not designed as such and do not comprise a finite supply of a substance which is used up.
Due to the finite nature of consumables, it is an inherent property of a consumable's intended use that the target user (the consumer) will buy repeated instances of the consumable over a year, month, week or even a day (as opposed to durables which last for over a year or typically multiple years in normal circumstances, and are often guaranteed as such).
Personalisation of consumables and the associated use experience is of growing interest to consumers. For example see “2011 Consumer Packaged Goods Industry Perspective”; Booz&co.; Leslie Moeller, Jose Gregorio Baquero & Elisabeth Hartley (http://www.booz.com/media/uploads/End of Year Letter 2011 consumer.pdf). The user gains a sense of rewarding or indulging him or herself through the consumption of a consumable, and this sense can be enhanced by personalisation or customisation.